Tina Lugo’s erotic illustrations will have you questioning your kinks

Published on 05 August 2016

Tina Lugo is an artist we love, her illustrations are provocative, completely unforgettable and a big hit on Instagram. Tina draws inspiration from the Ero Guru Nansensu Japanese art movement, it pertains to eroticism, the grotesque and nonsense – a holy trinity of excellent things.

We spoke to her find out about how people react to her work. On the one hand people are shocked, and on the other they’re like “wait maybe I’m into this in a sexual way?”

Follow Tina on Instagram @Tina_Lugo13 and check out her website here, she also sells cool pins and t-shirts.

Hey Tina, where do you get these ideas from?

Many of my ideas come from the Ero Guro movement of 1920s Japan, along with influence from the Kink scene and pop culture references.

What kind of reactions have you had to your work?

I’ve had some shock value reactions for sure but about 90 percent of the outcomes have been extremely supportive and positive. The best would be when I have had fans approach me at a show and say “your work really resonates with me and helped me through this tough time I was having recently ” or “this has made me open up about my sexuality and want to explore kinks and not hide anymore.” Those reactions have really inspired me to keep going and talk to more of my fan base about what makes them tick

Why do you think Japanese-inspired art or culture is so popular in the West?

I think it’s popular because much of it doesn’t hide what it is. A lot of erotica is in plain sight and acknowledges its historical background in Japan. To me personally, that was highly refreshing since there’s so much taboo carried on American shoulders. Japan seems to be always changing, and is very trend setting with its youth culture and I think that has mass appeal for the western world, who are mass consumers of “what’s new?”. There’s also a precision and dedication that appeals to me about their culture and I resonate with the idea that you must throw yourself 100 percent into whatever you choose to do in life in order to improve and ultimately be successful.

What art do you like to look at?

Everything. I went to the Met and Moma so much growing up and still never got sick of it. I love everything from the Byzantine period to the Baroque (which provides me with many figural references) to the contemporary. My favorite artists of all time are Keith Haring, Jackson Pollock, Yoshitoshi, and Marina Abramovic.